Demi Lovato, Drew Barrymore, Christina Ricci, and more share 'traumatic' experiences as child stars

Demi Lovato is preparing for the release of a very meaningful project. The fan-favorite singer is opening up about her career in the entertainment business, and how it affected her personal life, after starting her professional journey at a young age. 

The actress is making her directorial debut with 'Child Star,' which is set to be released on Hulu. The 90-minute documentary will be streaming on September 17 and explores her experience as a child actor, including the negative effects and obstacles she had to navigate throughout her career.

Apart from opening up about her struggles and her personal journey, other celebrities and A-List stars decided to join her project, to talk about their own ups and downs in the industry, exploring the issues of giving "a really serious job to a really young kid," as described by co-director Nicola Marsh.

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“The entire family ecosystem becomes dependent on that kid working that hard, and, I believe it’s Raven-Symoné who says it, they’ll milk the light out of you because there’s money to be made," Marsh said to The Hollywood Reporter. 

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Raven-Symoné is just one of the stars involved in the documentary. Drew Barrymore, who has been open about her substance use and rehabilitation at 13, is also telling her story. Christina Ricci, JoJo Siwa, and Kenan Thompson are set to give their perspective. 

“The honesty with which they came to the table was extraordinary,” Marsh said to the publication, admitting that the stars were very honest when it came to sharing their story, adding that he was surprised when Ricci wanted to talk about "how her father had been a physically violent, failed cult leader."

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